Method of effecting the combustion of gas.



G. C. F. VATER. METHOD 0F EFFECTING THE COMBUSTION 0F GAS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1913.

Patented May 2, 1916.

zb-@Harney THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH x10., WASHINLITON. D. C.

TF5@ STATES PATENT FFTQE.

GEORGE C. F. VATER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR T0 THE GAS MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OI-IIO.

METHOD OF EFFECTING THE COMBUSTION OF GAS.

Application filed January 23, 1913.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. F. VATER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, resi dent of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and

State of Ohio, have invented a new and use` ful Improvement in Methods of Effecting the Combustion of Gas, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention relates to methods of effect ing the combustion of gas, its object being t0 effect such combustion in an efficient and economical manner.

A specific object is to effect the economical and efficient combustion of producer gas and to provide a construction by means of which such combustion may be effected in connection with the operation of 11p-draft or down-draft brick-burning kilns, and which may be readily applied to such burning-kilns of usual and ordinary construc tion. Coal is the fuel usually and most commonly used in connection with the operation of these kilns, but in some localities many kilns have been constructed for use in connection and operated with natural gas or oil as a fuel. These two fuels are however either giving out or are becoming too expensive for further use and as it is desirable, if possible, to retain the structure built to be so operated, it is desirable to provide an arrangement into which these al ready existing kilns can be converted with comparatively small expense and in which some other fuel may be advantageously used. These kilns being already designed for the use of a fluid fuel, and not lending themselves to a conversion into coal-burning kilns without considerable expense of re-` construction, it would hence appear desirable to use an alternative gaseous fuel. Producer gas is such an alternative fuel, but

heretofore it has always been necessary to use a recuperator or regenerator in connection with the efficient use of such gas. These already existing kilns, however,` do not furthermore lend themselves readily to a conversion into a recuperator or e regenerator type of heating apparatus as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

A further andy more specific object of my invent-ion, theretere, is to permit of; the use Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 19916.

Serial No. 743,854.

. of producer gas as a fuel in connection with the operation of these kilns, without the use of the ordinary recuperator or regenerator.

To these general and specific ends, therefore, my invention consists of a method of effecting combustion of gas hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The apparatus herein shown and described constitutes the subject-matter of a divisional application bearing Serial Number 834,606 and filed April 27, 1914-.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail a certain method and means for carrying out my invention, the disclosed method and means, however, constituting but one of various forms in which the principle of my invention may be applied.

In said annexed drawing Fignre 1 represents a fragmentary axial section of a brick-kiln embodying that part of my invention relating to the apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a section of such kiln taken upon the planes indicated by lines II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary horizontal section taken upon the planes indicated by lines III-III, IIIn-IIIa and IIIb-IIIb, respectively.

In the illustrated apparatus, A represents the burning chamber of an ordinary type of brick-kiln adapted for use in connection with fluid as a fuel. Along the outside of this chamber are placed in the usual manner, a plurality of furnaces B for burning the fuel for the purpose of generating the heat required to burn the brick. These furnaces and connected parts, are of special con* struction whereby they are adapted to be economically used and as above noted, in connection with the use of producer gas, which yconstruction I shall now describe. Each such furnace includes a combustion chamber C whose rear is formed by a bag or'flash-wall D detached from the main walls A of the kiln to form a duct l communicating, by means of an outlet d with the top of` said chamber. The lateral and opposite walls of the latter are formed of checker-work E forming a multiplicity of horizontal air-passages e, e, establishing vcommunication between said chamber and the two air-passages F F, Fig. 2. These latter communicate at the outside with the atuwsphrc such communication is controlled by suitable registers F F, and hence form an air supply for the said chamber. The masonry extends over the checkerwork, Fig. 2, and forms a seat for a slidevalve G which is adapted to vary the area of the outlet d. A passage a is formed in the front Wall of the furnace into which the valve may project, as shown in Fig. l, and intersects such front Wall and communicates with duct d, the outer end being stopped by means of a removable closure A2 having a sight or peep-hole a closed by a removable plug a?. By these means it Will be seen that unpreheated supplementary7 air may be admitted through said passage c.

An opening a is formed in the middle of the front Wall intersectingr the front Wall of the combustion chamber and is normally stopped by means of a removable closure A3 also provided with a sight or peep-hole a* closed by a plug By means of these sight or peep-holes the character of combustion may be observed and noted both above the outlet cl and in the chamber C, as Will be understood. The bottom of the said chamber is formed of spaced bars c c, forming passages communicating` with a duct H connected with a conduit H, communication between such duct and conduit being controlled by means of a suitable valve J, Fig. l. A chamber c into Which the passage a discharges is formed immediately above the valve seat to give the supplementary air easy access to duct cl. This chamber also acts when the valve G is in its open position,r as an addition to the combustion chamber C, the latter becoming enlarged to meet the requirements introduced by the addition of producer gas as the valve J is opened.

In the beginning of the operation of the above-described apparatus, the valve G is caused to so cover the opening rl as to present a comparatively restricted area and the closure A2 is removed to admit the unpreheated or atmospheric supplementary air. The registers F F are opened so as to'admit a comparatively large quantity of air and the valve J opened so as to admit a comparatively limited quantity of gas into the combustion chamber. This air enters the chamber C through the passages e, e, and the mixture of gas and this air is ignited. This air being injected horizontally intothe combustion chamber forms what may be termed a sheet of air through Which the gas coming into the combustion-chamber `must pass, thus effecting a thorough and complete mixture of the gas and air. Combustion then proceeds and by reason of the constriction of the opening d. is largelyT confined to the chamber C. Such combustion occurring in a comparatively restricted chamber soon results in raising the temperature of the checker-Work and correspondingly heats the incoming air, which passes over the resultant heated surfaces which are of comparatively large area. As this combustion proceeds and the temperature ofthe checker- Work increases` more favorable combustion conditions vare created and the amount ot' air admitted by the registers may be correspondingly decreased until just sutcient air is admitted to produce a perfect combustion. In; the meantime, however, the gases oi' combustion are carried off through duct d into the burning chamber which` contains the green brick containing moisture which must be first driven ofi". These gases carry with them a large quantity of supplementary air from the passage. a which becomes heated, has a large capacity, in` consequence, of absorbing moisture, and comes into co-ntact with the green brick in the initial. part of the operation. This air therefore absorbs the moisture from the brick rapidly and` this part of the process, Water smoking, continues until substantially all of such moistureis driven off. As the temperature in the combustion chamber increases in proportion to the increase in favorable combustion conditions and the cutting down off air, the outlet d is gradually increasedin area by moving thev valve G, thus increasing the volume of the combustion chamber and permitting a greater volume of gas to burn and a greater volume of combustion products of higher temperature to pass into theburning chamber, and this temperature is further increased by gradually admitting more gas by still further r opening the valveJ. After a given period of time, allot` the supplementary air is shut off and this timeis determined by taking the temperature in the apparatus illustrated, at the top of the bur-ning chamber'. 'When this temperature reaches about 500o F. it has been found by experiment, that substantially all of; the moisture is driven oil".` The temperatureis thenl gradually raised to its maximumby adjusting the valve G, the registers F F and the valve J as above described, soY as to complete the desired heattreating to which the` brick must be subjected.

By admitting the air through checkerwork Jformingopposite sidesof-the heating chamber and admitting the gas from beneath, I not onlyv obtain a large heating surface for the air but also` obtain aA very thorough mixture of gas and air Which increases the eificiency of the combustion. Furthermore by means of my above-described method and apparatus I am able to effect the combustion of the gasthroughout a comparatively long space and thereby obtain a long iame, which, as is well recognizedv by those skilled in the art, is a desirable element in the efficient operation ofa brick-burning kiln.

Having fully described my invention,

what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. The method of operating a brick-kiln, which consists in effecting .combustion of gas in a combustion-chamber communicating with the burning chamber and restricting the volume of such combustion-chamber commensurate with the requirements of complete combustion; admitting the products of combustion from said combustionchamber to the burning chamber together With supplementary air accompanying such products; gradually enlarging the combustion-chamber and simultaneously decreasing the amount of supplementary air.

2. The method of operating a brick-kiln, which consists in effecting combustion of gas in a combustion-chamber communicating with the burning chamber and restricting the Volume of such combustion-chamber commensurate With the requirements of complete combustion; admitting the products of combustion to said burning chamber accompanied by supplementary air; gradually increasing the volume of the combustion-chamber and simultaneously lreducing the amount of the supplementary air, and increasing the yamount of gas entering the combustion-chamber.

3. The method of operating a brick-kiln, which consists in admitting gas into a combustion-chamber through the bottom of the latter, admitting air into the combustionchamber through the lateral walls thereof, burning such mixture, and restricting the volume of the combustion-chamber commensurate with the requirements of complete combustion; permitting' t-he products of combustion together With supplementary air mixed therewith to pass into the burning-chamber; gradually enlarging the volume of the combustion-chamber and simulta-neously reducing the amount of supplementary air.

4. The method of operating a brick-kiln, which consists in admitting gas into a combustion-chamber through the bottom of the latter, admitting air into the combustionchamber through thelateral Walls thereof, burning such mixture, and restricting the volume of the combustion-chamber commensurate With the requirements of complete combustion; permitting the products of combustion together with supplementary air mixed therewith to pass into the burning-chamber; gradually enlarging the volume of the combustionchamber, simultaneously reducing the amount of supplementary air, and simultaneously increasing the amount of gas .admitted to the combustionchamber.

5. The method of operating a brick-kiln, which consists in effecting combustion of gas in a combustion-chamber communicating with the burning chamber; introducing a supplementary air supply into the latter at a point intermediate of the latter and the combustion-chamber; regulating the volume of the combustion-chamber commensurate with the requirements of complete combustion, and simultaneously regulating the introduction of the supplementary air.

6. The method of operating a briclckiln, which consists in effecting combustion of gas in a combustionchamber communicating with the burning chamber; introduce ing a supplementary air supply into the latter at a point intermediate of the latter and the combustion-chamber; regulating the volume of the combustion-chamber commensurate with the requirements of complete combustion, simultaneously regulating the introduction of the supplementary air, and regulating the amount of gas introduced into the combustion-chamber.

Signed by me, this 22nd day of January 1913.

GEO. C. F. VATER.

Attested by:

GEORGE HoLBRooK, ARTHUR M. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

